Whether responding to breaking news, hosting a musical performance or interviewing heads of state, employees at NPR aim to dress appropriately for their roles. For the roughly 750 employees at the media organization’s Washington headquarters, that can mean anything from shorts and sandals in the summer to tailored suits.

“You’re going to dress differently if you’re a White House correspondent than if you are shooting video or editing tape on the overnight,” said Margaret Low Smith, senior vice president of news.

Scott Simon, host of “Weekend Edition Saturday,” said he often gets teased by his colleagues for dressing up, whether it’s because of his pocket squares or red socks, or for wearing a particularly voluminous coat in Afghanistan. “You can’t let your standards slip just because you’re in a war zone,” he quipped.

The Dress Code: There is none, although employees have to be prepared for surprise visitors. “It could be the Secretary of State, it could be Wyclef Jean—which all happened,” said Michel Martin, host of “Tell Me More.”

Nina Totenberg, veteran correspondent on legal affairs, requires that people working for her dress up at the Supreme Court. At minimum, they must wear presentable dark slacks and a white shirt. “My view of that is, that is so boring, why would anybody do that?” she said. “Why wouldn’t you have some fun with your clothes?”

Dressing for Radio: Visitors are often surprised by the way people at NPR look. “You have this vision in your mind of this very wise, older, bearded sage, and you can see that every time somebody comes in, they’re deflated,” said Guy Raz, host of “TED Radio Hour.”

“You kind of feel bad,” he said. “I wish there was something I could do to fulfill that.”

About Speakeasy

Speakeasy is a blog covering media, entertainment, celebrity and the arts. The publication is produced by Barbara Chai and Jonathan Welsh with contributions from the Wall Street Journal staff and others. Write to us at speakeasy@wsj.com or follow us on Twitter at @WSJSpeakeasy or individually @barbarachai.